The present application relates to a method for integrating a Group III nitride such as, for example, GaN, on a silicon substrate, and a semiconductor structure that is formed using the method of the present application.
Group III nitride-based devices are gaining interest for high speed and high power applications. Such devices contain at least one Group III nitride which is composed of nitrogen and at least one element from Group III, i.e., aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga) and indium (In), of the Periodic Table of Elements. Illustrative examples of some common Group III nitrides are GaN, AlN, InN, GaAlN, and GaAlInN. Despite the current interest in Group III nitride-based devices, silicon-based devices remain the choice for logic and low-power applications.
In some applications, it is imperative to benefit from both silicon (Si) and Group III nitride platforms for enabling the most efficient systems. Typically, Si-based devices can be used for switching Group III nitride-based devices in applications such as, for example, radar, communication and as a voltage inverter.
One common approach to provide a semiconductor structure containing both silicon-based devices and Group III nitride-based devices is to provide discrete components of silicon-based devices and Group III nitride-based devices and then to separately place them on the same platform. However, such an approach is not integrated and thus leads to a large footprint and scalability issues. In view of the above, there is a need to provide a method in which Group III nitride-based devices can be integrated with silicon-based devices.